Veteran communist Veliyam Bhargavan (85), former secretary of the CPI in Kerala, passed away at the Government Medical College Hospital at Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Veliyam, who had been keeping indifferent health for quite some time, was admitted to the hospital the other day following acute respiratory problems.
The CPI leader, known for his soft-spoken nature, had become State party secretary for the first time in 1998 and continued in that post for four consecutive terms till CK Chandrappan succeeded him in 2010. Veliyam had been a member of the CPI national council since 1971.
Bhargavan, born in Veliyam village in Kollam district in 1928, was elected to the first Kerala legislative Assembly in 1957 and re-elected in 1960. Veliyam was a member of the CPI’s State council when the party split in 1964 and worked hard to strengthen the CPI with leaders like TV Thomas and MN Govindan Nair.
Despite his soft-spoken nature, Veliyam had always taken particular care to safeguard the identity and individuality of the CPI even when it was part of the CPI (M)-led lDF.